For the Illinois House

March 08, 2012

(Tribune illustration)

The Tribune offers more endorsements in contested primary races for the Illinois House.

32nd District: Second-term Democratic Rep. Andre Thapedi is an upstanding but unassuming lawmaker who is steadily growing into the job. He's a thoughtful voice on education, which he says is the top concern among his constituents, and is strong on ethics issues. He's endorsed over Bobby Joe Johnson, who finally got on the ballot this year. Johnson's petitions were invalidated in 2008 and 2010.

34th District: Attorney Elgie Sims Jr., of Chicago, stands out in this crowded field of Democrats, and for good reason: His expertise on state finances comes from years of heavy lifting as budget director for former Senate President Emil Jones. Yes, he's a lobbyist. He's also charismatic and respected. His talent and experience could make him a player right from the start. The other candidates are Richard Wooten, a Chicago police officer and Army veteran; Paul Steven Gregoire, also a Chicago cop; Sandra Wortham, an attorney and deputy director of the department's CAPS program; and Kyle Kasperek, an auditor from Calumet City.

35th District: Our endorsement in the Democratic primary goes to Andrew Byrne Hodorowicz, a Palos Heights mortgage banker. Hodorowicz worked for the state auditor general's office and the Illinois Racing Board before taking a job as chief financial officer for Hawthorne Race Course. He could offer valuable perspective on budget matters and ongoing discussions about expanding gambling in the state. Chicagoans Anthony Martin, a trustee for the city firefighters pension fund, and Frances Ann Hurley, constituent services coordinator for Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, also are running.

38th District: Democratic Rep. Al Riley of Olympia Fields has been a strong advocate for the Southland communities since being appointed to this seat in 2007. He has worked for equitable transit funding and a south suburban seat on the Metra board and brings expertise as an urban planner and statistician to discussions on education funding and property tax reform. We were disappointed in his vote against a bill to close loopholes that allowed two lobbyists to collect generous state pensions after substitute teaching for a single day (he was one of only four "no" votes in the House). Riley says the bill went after outrageous but isolated abuses without addressing the real pension crisis. We trust he'll work hard on those larger fixes in the coming months. He's endorsed over insurance broker Clifton Graham Jr., of Country Club Hills.

39th District: Elected in 2002, Democratic Rep. Maria Antonia Berrios has had plenty of time to prove she's the real thing and not just the daughter of Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios. But colleagues almost invariably describe her as a go-along, get-along legislator, and her positions on the issues, per our candidate survey, are heavy on calls for further examination and light on actual solutions. Will Guzzardi, a 24-year-old comparative literature major from North Carolina who worked briefly for Huffington Post in Chicago, is working the neighborhoods hard, pitching himself as an independent candidate who'll be accountable to voters. We disagree with him on many things but admire his direct answers. Guzzardi is endorsed.

42nd District: It's a close call between the two best candidates in this Republican contest of four like-minded conservatives. As former legislative staffers, Chris Hage, of Wheaton, and Laura Pollastrini, of Carol Stream, share an inside knowledge of how things work (or don't) in state government. Both are outspoken about the lack of scrutiny and transparency in passing a budget, for example, and both are critical of the salaries and benefits afforded to dozens of part-time boards and commissions. We give the edge to Hage, a former prosecutor and legal counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, for his solid grounding on criminal law issues.

Pollastrini, an attorney, has worked for former Senate President James "Pate" Philip and former DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett. She currently works in government relations and has served on the DuPage County regional school board since 1995. The others are Dave Carlin, of Naperville, president of the DuPage College board of trustees and district office director for U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, and Jeanne Ives, a West Point graduate and Gulf War veteran elected last year to the Wheaton City Council.